The Little Church
by GaaraKazekage6
Summary: While walking home from a hard day at school, a young girl is sidetracked from her path to investigate a beautiful small church on the top of a hill. There, she will meet a new friend who will invite her to join a group of paranormal investigators at Shibuya Psychic Research. :)


It had begun as any normal day for Emiko. A 'fun-filled' day at school followed by a two hour study session for the upcoming mid-term exams. Emiko could not contain her excitement (sarcasm intended of course). However there were some advantages to finishing school a little bit later than normal and that was walking home through the vast lanes of Sakura trees watching the beautiful autumn sunset. The early autumn cherry blossoms were falling from the trees and a warm breeze flowed through Emiko's long brown locks. As she made her way home Emiko noticed something different. To her right some of thick hedge had been cut away revealing a new dark, mysterious path. It was silent; not even the wind was catching the leaves. Curiosity took over and Emiko found herself wandering along the winding road. At first it was relatively dark but soon she was on a small road lined on either side by lovely little red rose bushes and tall arching oak trees with golden brown leaves. The sunlight seemed to bounce off of them. The road seemed endless until Emiko turned around a small corner and, at the top of a hill, a little building sat. It looked beautiful and the scenery was so picturesque. Emiko gazed out upon the vast fields of brightly coloured flowers and sighed deeply as birds harmonised in the trees above. After climbing the hill it was more clear that the little building had a steeple and a cross on its roof. A small, rectangular sign was balanced on the side wall. It was a bit rusty and covered in dust but Emiko could just about make out what it said; 'St. Joseph's Church'. Even though the building was a bit run down it was still very attractive. As she wandered around the historic little church Emiko noticed that the front door was ajar. This gave her the opportunity to explore the inside. The door was large and wooden with brass rounded handles. Slowly Emiko used all of her strength to open the door wide enough to fit her petite body through. On the other side of the door there was another large cross and a three tiered candle stand with only one small candle lit at the back. Emiko lit the one next to it crossed her hands, closed her eyes and prayed. As she was praying there was a clatter in the next room. Her eyes shot opened and peeked through the ajar door behind her. There was no sign of movement so Emiko decided to take a closer look. Opening the door fully she could see rows of seats and an altar covered in a pure white linen cloth lined with golden thread. Behind it was a tall brass cross and clear vases of white roses. They were fresh.

'Someone else must have visited today.' she thought. Emiko chose a seat at the edge of the back row and sat down. The wall opposite the door she came in was made of glass so while you sat and prayed you could gaze out onto the sun setting over the countryside. Once again she closed her eyes and bowed her head to pray, mainly for success in the upcoming exams. While Emiko was in mid-prayer she was disturbed by the sound of a closing door in front of her. Her eyes shot open. She was suddenly struck with panic. What if she got into trouble? What if she was charged with trespassing? What if she was sent to prison?! Her heart began to pulsate so fast that she began to shake. It was time to face her doom. Swallowing hard she raised her head...

She could see a young man. Probably in his teens. He was carrying a pile of books and a large candle. He sat the candle in a holder on the altar and lit it with a lighter. While doing this Emiko took a quick glance at his face. His eyes were the brightest of blue and his cheeks were slightly blushed. 'He has probably been here working all day' Emiko thought. He had a medium length mop of blonde hair which gently caressed the neck of his light blue jumper. Emiko could feel her cheeks heating up. His physique and complexion, combined with his sparkling blue eyes and ruffled hair, made him look innocent and somewhat charming. Slowly crouching behind the seat in front of her, Emiko began to plan her escape route. The door she had come in was open wide enough for her to make a sharp and fast exit. Checking that the young man was not looking her way, Emiko sat up slightly and prepared to run. Unbeknownst to her, a floorboard beside the chair she was behind had been lifted slightly. The time had come. Emiko, in her attempt to sprint towards the door tripped, clumsily, over the floorboard letting out a load yelp. She tumbled forward trying to regain her balance but, in failing to do so, grabbed hold of the cloth on top of a small table by the door. As she fell she took the cloth with her, and an expensive looking vase which smashed into many worthless pieces on the floor. Her head smacked loudly on the floor which was when she heard running footsteps coming from the altar. It was apparent that the young man had heard, or even, seen what had just happened. Her vision began to blur and she could feel herself slipping from consciousness. Before her eyes closed completely she could see a blue eyed face staring down at her and she could hear a muffled voice but was not able to make out what it was saying. It was then that she lost consciousness.

With a metal clatter and the smell of herbs, Emiko was shot back to consciousness. As she quickly sat up the room began to spin violently creating a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and forcing her to lie back down again. A soft cloth was gently placed on her forehead. It was cold but it felt so good. Giving a sigh of comfort, she turned her head to see the same blue eyes and ruffled blonde hair that she had seen before falling unconscious. The smile he had was hypnotising.

'How are you feeling?' He said. His accent took Emiko by surprise. It was obvious that he wasn't from Japan as he had an Australian twang; it made him even more adorable. So adorable in fact that she winced as quietly as she could.

'The room is spinning and my head is killing me...apart from that I'm pretty good!' She replied. 'Sarcasm?! Really?! Stupid stupid!' She thought, mentally kicking herself for sounding so rude.

'Well I'm glad to hear you are on the mend...I guess.' He laughed. Emiko attempted to sit up again, this time she felt less nauseous. The boy handed her a small china cup filled with tea.

'Thank you so much this smells amazing!' She said before taking a sip and savouring the delicious taste. 'Wow this is so good! I feel much better now.'

'I'm so glad! You gave me quite a scare! I didn't expect anyone to visit today!' He said taking the cloth off of Emiko's head.

'I wasn't planning on visiting today to be honest, I was just curious.' Finishing her tea she sat the small cup on her lap and watched the young man pick up a dustpan sitting by the door, filled with the shattered remains of a vase. 'Ah! I'm so sorry!' The young man, startled, turned rapidly, almost dropping the pieces. 'I didn't mean to destroy the vase! I'll pay you back I promise! I'm so sorry!' Emiko apologised bowing her head in shame. The young man merely laughed.

'Easy now! You'll get dizzy again! It really is no problem, accidents happen.' He chuckled.

'I'm so clumsy!'

'It's alright! I'm renovating anyway most of the ornaments are going to be put into storage. I would have never seen that vase again to be honest.'

'You're renovating on your own?' Emiko wondered whether this young man was a joiner or a decorator that had been hired to remodel the church. Then again no employer would send someone to do a job like that without a little assistance.

'Oh I chose to do this on my own, voluntarily. My local parish is investing in this small church and they didn't have the money to pay for an experienced renovator so I volunteered.' He replied.

'Ah I see! So you are a volunteer at the church?' Emiko asked taking other sip of delicious tea. The young man gave her a confused look.

'Well not exactly. I'm actually one of the priests in the parish.'

In a projectile motion, the tea escaped from Emiko's mouth. She jumped up from her seated position in shock grabbing the china mug as it fell from her lap. A priest?! Now Emiko felt even more embarrassed about tripping up and breaking the vase...a priest's vase...a priest...her face went bright red.

'A priest?! I thought you were a decorator!' She exclaimed, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

'Ha! I don't think I look much like a decorator!' He chuckled checking himself up and down for signs of a "decorator in the making". The pair laughed about it for a while. Emiko glanced behind the priest and looked at the clock on the wall.

'Gah! It's 6pm! I'm late! I really have to go!' She exclaimed grabbing her bag and running out the door nearly tripping over the floorboard again. As she ran through the church the Australian accent seemed to be following her outside.

'Wait!' It exclaimed. 'I didn't catch your name!'

'Emiko Hatsumi. And you?' She replied whilst running backwards, out of breath.

'The name's John Brown. Listen if you want I am looking for some help around the church...if you're interested and good with a paintbrush.' Emiko's heart skipped a beat.

'Yeah! I'm quite the artist! I would love to help you out! Same time tomorrow?'

'See you then!'


End file.
